Systems for generating three-dimensional images of scenes rely on depth reconstruction techniques to determine the three-dimensional shapes of objects within the scenes. Some current systems utilize one-shot structured light based depth cameras to determine depth data for captured images. Such one-shot structured light systems use the depth cameras to emit patterns including random light spots, and then capture images including the emitted patterns. Depth data can then be determined by establishing the correspondences between a reference image and captured images including the patterns. However, depth data that is determined in this manner often suffers from holes and severe noise. In particular, the positions of the light spots are identified by blocks of pixels. Such blocks of pixels may be deformed when projected onto the boundary of objects within scenes. This may make it difficult to identify the correspondences between the images. Furthermore, the identified correspondences between the images may have limited accuracy in the case of abrupt depth change. As a result, the determined depth data may include random errors.
Phase shifting systems, which rely on the projection of a series of phase shifted sinusoidal patterns onto a scene, often provide higher quality depth data than the one-shot structured light systems described above. Such phase shifting systems can reconstruct depth data at every camera pixel with one set of captured images. Thus, the depth data may have higher spatial resolution. In addition, the depth data may be calculated from sinusoidal phase differences. As a result, noise may be suppressed, and the depth data may be more accurate. However, such systems rely on the use of projectors for the reconstruction of the depth data, as the sinusoidal patterns are grayscale.